Joan and I are members of the Women’s National Book Association–San Francisco Chapter as well as California Writers Club.

Catch WNBA’s event at Oakland Library in the morning; then do some research while you’re at the library; then have fun platform and fanbase-building with colleagues; then go see Joan at Book Passage in Corte Madera in the evening.

Tell your writer-friends in or near Oakland, CA about WNBA’s event on January 10, 2015

“Digital Storytelling: New Opportunities for Women Writers”

Laura Fraser is the Cofounder and Editorial Director of Shebooks.net, a new digital storytelling platform for women.

Cheers to Joan Steidinger and her new book Sisterhood in Sports: How Female Athletes Collaborate and Compete, everyone at Left Coast Writers, Book Passage, California Writers Club, Women’s National Book Association, Laura Fraser and SheBooks!

“I wrote Maya Roads after thirty years of traveling in the rainforest region of southern Mexico and northern Guatemala, not only as a journalist but also because I am deeply taken by all culture Maya, ancient and modern. I don’t avoid the violence that has ripped that part of the world with revolution and civil war, describing what I have seen; but I travel too in order to find the sacred Maya sites, and to wonder at the ancient cities that speak even in ruins.”

“Every once in a while I stumble upon a book that is so beautifully written and infused with so much intelligence and heart that it leaves an indelible mark on me. Mary Jo McConahay’s Maya Roads is such a book. In its hungry passion and wide-eyed wonder, it’s an extraordinary literary journey and a moving testament to a region and a life.” —Don George, National Geographic Traveler, Trip Lit blog

“A layered examination of a place and a people whose ancient culture is rapidly disappearing.” —Kirkus

“From the moment Mary Jo McConahay steps into the deep Mexican jungle, you will follow her anywhere. In this extraordinary travel memoir, McConahay journeys through beauty, history, disappearing cultures, and revolution. . . . Her courage, keen observation, and open heart make her an unparalleled guide to this gorgeous, mysterious, sacred, and sometimes terrifying corner of the planet.” —Laura Fraser, author, An Italian Affair and All Over the Map

[Coach Teresa here. So cool to see Laura praising Mary Jo’s book. I just met Laura this year when my pal/talking-tagline guru/travel writer Elisa Southard invited me the February 2011 Bay Area Travel Writers meeting. Laura was the speaker; Elisa Southard was the co-chair the Student Travel Writing Contest. Here’s Elisa article about the event.]

“Thanks, Teresa, for the get-up-and-go I found for my promotion phase between the covers of your workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days. So valuable. All the best to you!” Mary Jo McConahay, author of Maya Roads: One Woman’s Journey Among the People of the Rainforest